Ukraine: Nuclear Fears, Biblical Hope

 

One of the most concerning aspects of the war in Ukraine has been the assault on nuclear power plants by the Russian military.  Memories of Chernobyl and Three Mile Island come readily to mind as we consider the danger this creates.  Such moves really up the ante.  All that notwithstanding, we must not give up hope that the situation can be bettered.

Over the years I’ve come to believe there are three components to hope.  First, it means honestly assessing a situation—what’s right here, and what’s wrong.  What can be left untouched, and what needs to be changed, corrected, transformed?  Second, hope means committing oneself to doing all within one’s own power to bring about the necessary changes.  How can I contribute to the change that is necessary in this situation?  And third, hope means recognizing we may not be able to do it all ourselves and will need to trust that God is truly at work in the world.  Hope, you see, is not a feeling or an idea, it is a conscious decision.  To be a person of hope, then, one must be honest, committed and filled with trust.  Eliminate any of these factors, and hope disappears more quickly than bedbugs in the presence of an exterminator.

No one knows for sure where the war in Ukraine will lead.  It is a situation fraught with danger.  We must encourage our leaders to be cautious yet firm in their responses to these challenges.  As a nation we must honestly assess the dangers and be committed to doing all in their power to bringing about a change for the better, trusting that good can be accomplished.  We can bow to the culture of fear, or we can live as people of hope.

Perhaps it would help for me tell you about a gutted out old industrial facility, this one not in Ukraine, but rather in Massachusetts.  I was there a few summers ago.  It used to house a company that manufactured trigger devices for our nuclear arsenal.  But the facility closed down in the mid-eighties.  Today it houses the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art.  Instead of creating weaponry that can kill thousands, even millions, those who work within its walls create life-giving art and music.  Swords beaten into plowshares.
  

Let us live as a people of hope, rather than fear.